Grazing/ hay field for same use?

[Hunt4farm]

I have 4 Acres that I am going to put two Cavs on pretty soon that I plan on rotating them between two different paddocks of 2 acres each.
Do you just wait until they've eaten down an area pretty good to rotate them to the other side?
Also can I use the same 2pastures to get at least one cutting of hay per year so that I can have that hay to feed them in the winter time?
Thanks guys for any info...

 

[greybeard]

Depends what kind of forage you have, rainfall, cost for cutting/baling, and yield per acre of the forage.
Around here, unless the landowner has their own equipment, no hay guy would move his equipment onto 4 acres cheaply enough to make it worth the landowner's wallet. Just not worth his time.
As far as cutting hay behind cattle, most don't do it without a lengthy period of time. The forage is too 'dirty' because of manure piles.

 

[Hunt4farm]

I had a local farmer cut/Bale this field in June for $1.50 / Bale.( 200 bales)
I would like to do a second cutting before I get the two calves in approximately 1 month.
Should I get second cut or just let them graze on the taller grass?( My thought was to get second cutting in about 2 weeks, probably only 50- 75 bales)so I have plenty of hay for them through the winter especially if our Northeast Ohio winter is long/colder than average.this would leave them shorter grazing forage( they should be weaned 2 weeks after this cutting would be if I have farmer do it, what's everyone think?

 

[farmerjan]

I think that you did good to get a local farmer to cut and bale it for 1.50 bale. Will he come do a second cutting for so small an amount of hay? Honestly, we wouldn't feel it was worth our time and equipment for so small a number of bales. We actually only do it by the acre as it takes just as much time to cover 4 acres for 200 bales as it does for 50 as far as the cutting and raking. You are making as many trips whether the hay is light or thick. Baling would be a little faster, but you are still covering the same amount of ground. Not trying to be a wise guy about it.

You are talking about weaned calves...are they beef calves and being weaned at approx 5-8 months? So in the 4-600 lb range? If you get 2, I am thinking that even 250 square bales may not be enough hay for the winter in Ohio. We figure about one roll per cow per 20 days, so that would average out to a small square bale (50-60 lbs) per cow per day. We make 5x5 rolls that weigh in the neighborhood of 1200 lbs. This is in Va for at least a 4 and usually 5 month period. These are mature cows that are dry and will be calving in the spring so are on a mostly hay ration so they don't get too fat, before calving. You are talking growing calves that you want to be gaining through the winter so they basically need the hay free choice as well as grain to keep them gaining and not lose condition and weight through the cold months. I have past experience with cold in both CT and VT so do know what cold and snowy winters are. You don't want them to be wasting hay but you don't want them to be without hay in front of them when it is cold.

I would not spend the money to have it cut and baled, but to secure some other hay and let them eat the pastures; You would be money ahead as they will have the pasture there to eat and any hay you bring in will add nutrients to the soil through their manure and any that may get wasted.

Are you going to raise them for beef or are you getting heifers? Really doesn't matter for the next year as you will not be able to cut the hay off 2 acres and get anywhere near enough to get you through the next winter. We figure 1 cow/ calf pair per 2 acres here for grazing purposes, for the season. With very good rotating, and exceptional growth in the early part of the year, we can sometimes put 1 pair per acre but by the time July and Aug are here, things are getting dry and then we usually try to destock and move some out so there are closer to 3 acres per pair. You will have some extra grass early in the spring, but unless you have very wet weather, you will be short by the middle of the summer. That is where rotating really helps, but 4 acres will not come close to providing all the grass they need and your hay needs.

We do hay a couple of fields and then turn the cattle in to graze the 2nd cutting , about 8 weeks after we make first cutting and the grass has had time to regrow, but 2 weeks will not do much good for regrowth; on a couple of places as the grass gets ahead of us and we can use the hay. But they are off it by Nov and we fertilize for the hay cutting early, so that it is worth our time to make it. These are fields we have improved over the years.

 

[Alaskan]

I am originally from 20 acres for one cow.

So....

Wow!

As to when to rotate... it depends on what is growing in your pasture... some grasses can be grazed pretty short and they are fine and regrow. ...others will get weak and maybe die out if you graze them too short.

Most places have a handy dandy extension agent that will come out and answer questions and help you write up a management plan. Your tax dollars already paid for him...so no more cost to use him.

 

[farmerjan]

Agree, on the extension agent. Your tax dollars are paying for them to be "advisors" so by all means take advantage of it. We are on first name and cell phone basis with ours. Get any, all advise you can. Doesn't mean you have to follow it, but if you get the same basic answers from more than one source, then you know that it is probably the right direction to go in.

@Alaskan, yes we are fortunate to be in an area where there is often sufficient rainfall to keep pastures in fairly productive growth. On an average, we figure one pair to 2-3 acres, and that is with rotating them and accounting for the drier weather in the summer. I think that parts of Ohio would fall into the same type of range as it is about what we used to figure in CT also. Soil was actually more fertile where I came from in CT, but more woods and trees than we have here on the farms we rent and manage.

But there is more winter in CT and certainly in Ohio, so I am not thinking that there will be as long a grazing season as we get here. We try to get cows out in mid-April, and if we have an "average" year for rainfall, can count on pasture until mid-late Nov. We try for 7-8 months, and this past year had no snow cover and some cows still grazing on stockpiled grass in Jan.. It depends on the amount of grass, the rotation and how many head of cattle....

We just pulled 9 preg heifers off a pasture of about 11-12 acres. Grass was well grazed but not into the ground. Since they are due to start after Aug 15, I wanted them home where I can watch them. We will leave that place empty for about 6-8 weeks and if we get rain will move something else there for 2 months fall grazing. Too far to feed in the winter, so it is summer only. The 9 went in about first of may or so. No sense in grazing it into the ground. They are fat and sassy so know they were not shortchanged. That is a little less than 1 per acre, but they were not nursing a calf. head per acre

 

[Alaskan]

Grazing is pretty good here in Alaska... but only for 3 months.

At a guess, I would say 2 acres per cow.

 

[WyndSyrin]

The farm that I am on runs approx 100 head on 360 acres for 7 months out of the year and then we feed mega bales of hay from Nov to around March. to the OP's second question. IF the farmer will come back and cut and bale it for the same price then it would not be a bad idea do get a second cut. But if he won't then I would suggest looking into buying some extra hay from a farmer just in case